The present invention relates broadly to lacrosse stick constructions and is more particularly concerned with a lacrosse stick head frame having improved side wall lace mounting tabs.
The game of lacrosse is generally considered as the oldest team contact sport of North American origin. Historical evidence suggests that the game was played by various Indian tribes, such as the Iroquois and Hurons, in the 15th century. It is generally accepted that the original purpose of the sport of lacrosse was to physically and emotionally condition Indian warriors preparatory to combat or, in some instances, to itself function as a game forum for settling of tribal differences. While the equipment utilized in the sport of lacrosse has, of course, evolved substantially over the years, one all-important piece of equipment whose basic constructional elements have remained constant is the lacrosse stick. A lacrosse stick comprises an elongate stick or shaft having affixed to one end thereof a head in the nature of a frame defining an opening and a ball pocket composed of mesh or webbing suspended within the opening and being secured to the frame. In recent years, with the decreasing availability of high grade ash or hickory and the woodworking skills necessary to form and fabricate lacrosse sticks having one-piece wooden stick/head frame structures, it has become commonplace to fabricate the head frame components thereof by molding of tough synthetic thermoplastic materials.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,908, to Crawford et al., issued Jul. 12, 1977, there is disclosed a double-walled synthetic lacrosse stick head frame having a plurality of spaced apart mounting tabs extending inwardly from the upper edge of each of the side walls thereof. Each side wall mounting tab is disclosed to comprise a lace-receiving mounting hole therethrough, the lacing utilized to suspend the ball pocket mesh or webbing from the head frame being simply reeved serially from one hole to the next of the tab array. One problem associated with this type of mounting tab arrangement is that the ball pocket mesh or webbing can not be precisely adjusted and secured to the head frame in order to suit a player's particular needs. Moreover, the suspension lacing can move through the tab mounting holes, thereby undesirably altering the geometry and playing characteristics of the stick during the course of play.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,111, to Rule, issued Feb. 6, 1979, there is disclosed another lacrosse stick head frame whose side walls each comprise plural spaced apart mounting tabs for mounting of the ball pocket mesh or webbing. In this patent, however, an improved mounting tab design is disclosed wherein, in addition to the usual lace-receiving mounting hole therethrough, said tab also comprises a locating means in the form of a peripheral groove or notch provided in the free end or apex of the tab, said groove or notch extending in a direction generally parallel to the mounting hole of the tab. Utilizing this form of mounting tab, the side wall lace is reeved through each tab mounting hole and then looped and tied over the locating means groove or notch of that tab before continuing on to the next tab. Using this combination of tab design and lacing scheme, a player is enabled to precisely tune the ball pocket mesh or webbing as it is being secured to the frame by suspending it from the side wall laces. Moreover, by looping and tieing the side wall laces to the mounting tabs the tuned pocket remains stable throughout the course of play. In a preferred embodiment the mounting tabs are disclosed to be secured to the bottom edge of the head and depend angularly downwardly therefrom at a slight angle. This arrangement is said to deepen the pocket suspended from the side wall lacing, which is desirable from the standpoint of playability of the stick, and is further said to place the mounting tabs sufficiently out of the way as to avoid interference with ball handling. While the invention of the Rule patent does provide the principal benefits asserted therefor, namely, to provide a stable, tunable pocket, nevertheless, certain problems have been noted therewith. Firstly, the necessity to loop and tie the side wall lace at each of the plural mounting tabs constitutes a relatively arduous and time consuming task. Secondly, it has been noted that the side wall laces of lacrosse stick head frames having the mounting tab construction of the Rule patent tend to be subject to considerable wear and abrasion due to ball contact therewith during play. This, of course, requires relatively frequent replacement of the side wall laces, along with the usual remounting, readjustment and retuning of the ball pocket mesh or webbing with each such replacement of the side wall laces.
In accordance with the present invention, the aforementioned problems have been eliminated or, at the least, substantially ameliorated.